MS is a great place

[Tama]

marmac--You are entitled to your opinion, of course. However, the fact that
people in Minn. use Mississippi as an example of what not to be doesn't mean they understand what is going on here. Would you agree to that? It is certainly true that Minnesota as well as my home state of Pennsylvania can brag more about the schools and the monies to support them. True enough. Mississippi, however, has a different history from these states. The bottom line though is that I am trying to tell you and others that the reputation is not equal to the facts and that "having no schools" is quite a leap from having problem schools in some areas and again, I would expect educated people to at least inquire about the situation as opposed to making statements like the woman made and whom you seem to think offered a legitimate comment.

[Sierratipper]

Mississippi is a great state. My husband and I moved here from Florida (Ohio before that), and it does get a bad rap. It is a beautiful state and we are sad to be leaving it. I do have to say that it is an obese state though - not everyone and everywhere, but you can't argue with the statistics. Happy to say I was a "Mississipian" for a while!

[Maxchus]

Originally Posted by montanamom

Don't sweat it. A decade ago when I took my family and left the over crowded "yuppieville" that the Washington D.C. area had become to move to North Carolina, I got the same kind of reaction. My Northern friends and neighbors thought Southerners were all like Gomer Pyle. Now, they can't move to the the Carolinas fast enough, and can't change it to another overcrowded "yuppieville" fast enough either. Be glad if you enjoy living in Mississippi, and let the rest of the country think that it's "not so much". You're probably better off.

Great point.

Also, trying to prove the merits of MS. to the type of person who wants somebody to feel superior to is a waste of time. They want a reaction and expending the energy on them just feeds their ego. They love it if they can make you defensive.

[meskito]

Originally Posted by Maxchus

Great point.

Also, trying to prove the merits of MS. to the type of person who wants somebody to feel superior to is a waste of time. They want a reaction and expending the energy on them just feeds their ego. They love it if they can make you defensive.

I totally agree! They only way to change someones mind about a place is to take them there and show them the things that challenge their assumptions. Otherwise they just think that you are defensive and that you are only speaking for certain areas.
Mississippi can be tricky - some areas have money and a lot of culture, like Oxford where there is a large university - while some seem more "left behind" like the delta. It's easy (albeit WRONG) for outsiders to make blanket statements. I had some wrong ideas about MS before I lived there too. MS is a wonderful place. I have never met such TRUE friends and neighbors. I would live there again in a second!